I know caffeine is a diuretic, which is a strike against tea, coffee, and cola. If they don't eventually turn to H20 so it can react with minerals and other substances properly, that's a double whammy, I think. I may consider giving them up if they don't become H20, or at least start drinking much more water.

While I am not trying to discourage the drinking of more water (I should do that myself...)...
Soda is not a "compound" requiring it to be "split" or chemically "turned into" water.. It's a mixture that is MOSTLY water.

Drinking it is still a net positive to hydration... just not as BIG a net positive because of the diuretic properties.

Now I open the floor to other folks who will talk about how bad Soda is for you... ;)

Paul F.
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A sword never kills anybody; it is a tool in the killer's hand. - Lucius Annaeus Seneca c. 5 BC - 65 AD
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Good is the enemy of Excellent. Talent is not necessary for Excellence.
Persistence is necessary for Excellence. And Persistence is a Decision.
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Eureka, CA

Diet Coke, coffee, tea, etc. are ~99% water. There's no "turning into" anything. Your body has to absorb the water from these drinks like any other. The caffeine may serve as a diuretic and increase your kidneys' water output but you don't have some valve in your digestive system which takes caffeinated drinks and shunts them directly from the GI tract to the kidneys. They all take a ride through your bloodstream after they are absorbed in the GI tract.

"Researchers used to believe that caffeinated drinks had a diuretic effect. This means that you would urinate more after drinking them, which could increase your risk of becoming dehydrated. Recent research shows that this is not true and that caffeine has a diuretic effect only if you consume large amounts of it — more than 500 to 600 milligrams (the equivalent of 5 to 7 cups of coffee) a day."

Also, under some circumstances sugars can cause issues also, especially in higher amounts:

"Osmotic diuretics
Compounds such as mannitol are filtered in the glomerulus, but cannot be reabsorbed. Their presence leads to an increase in the osmolarity of the filtrate. To maintain osmotic balance, water is retained in the urine.
Glucose, like mannitol, is a sugar that can behave as an osmotic diuretic. Unlike mannitol, glucose is commonly found in the blood. However, in certain conditions such as diabetes mellitus, the concentration of glucose in the blood (hyperglycemia) exceeds the maximum reabsorption capacity of the kidney. When this happens, glucose remains in the filtrate, leading to the osmotic retention of water in the urine. Glucosuria causes a loss of hypotonic water and Na+ leading to a hypertonic state with signs of volume depletion such as: dry mucosa, hypotension, tachycardia, and decreased turgor of the skin. Use of some drugs, especially stimulants may also increase blood glucose and thus increase urination."

Now I open the floor to other folks who will talk about how bad Soda is for you...

I love soda.

I drink Diet Dr. Pepper and Diet Coke, with an occasional imbibing of Sierra Mist, Diet Seven Up (No caffeine, Never had it, Never will) and Orange Crush. Oh, and if I'm being completely honest, there's IBS and Barq's root beers. And a grape soda, on occasion. And Fanta Red Creme.

But to minimize the negative effects of soda, I often cut them with a couple of healthy scoops of vanilla ice cream.

I drink a half- to one liter of water a day. Yeah, I know it should be more.

You and I have memories longer than the road that stretches out ahead.

We don’t do focus groups. They just ensure that you don’t offend anyone, and produce bland inoffensive products. —Sir Jonathan Ive

-An armed society is a polite society.
And hope is a lousy defense.

There is no safety for honest men
except by believing all possible evil
of evil men.

Recent research shows that this is not true and that caffeine has a diuretic effect only if you consume large amounts of it — more than 500 to 600 milligrams (the equivalent of 5 to 7 cups of coffee) a day."

Ah, good to know.

Since soda has far less caffeine than coffee, I'm OK on that front.

Remember Jolt Cola? "All the sugar and twice the caffeine of regular cola!"

You and I have memories longer than the road that stretches out ahead.

We don’t do focus groups. They just ensure that you don’t offend anyone, and produce bland inoffensive products. —Sir Jonathan Ive

-An armed society is a polite society.
And hope is a lousy defense.

There is no safety for honest men
except by believing all possible evil
of evil men.

I agree with the Paul F's statement about mixture vs. compund; you're getting plenty of water from soda, however, the OP also asked about mineral balance, and the soda really is screwing you there. Soda weakens your bones, if you imbibe with frequency. Tea has an opposite affect.

"Researchers used to believe that caffeinated drinks had a diuretic effect. This means that you would urinate more after drinking them, which could increase your risk of becoming dehydrated. Recent research shows that this is not true and that caffeine has a diuretic effect only if you consume large amounts of it — more than 500 to 600 milligrams (the equivalent of 5 to 7 cups of coffee) a day."

Now you've done it. You mean there's not actually a drawback to drinking 5-7 cups a day?

I drink probably close to two liters of diet mt dew a day... and not nearly enough water.

Water, among it's other benefits, is a lot cheaper than diet dew. But I don't plan on giving it up...

Paul F.
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A sword never kills anybody; it is a tool in the killer's hand. - Lucius Annaeus Seneca c. 5 BC - 65 AD
----
Good is the enemy of Excellent. Talent is not necessary for Excellence.
Persistence is necessary for Excellence. And Persistence is a Decision.
--
--
--
Eureka, CA

I lived off Mountain Dew in college. I quit drinking it regularly back in the early '90s. Now if I drink it, I get a stomach ache. I guess it's the caffeine. Now I just have about a cup of coffee a day (if that) and drink about 2 liters of water a day. My system is pretty happy with that.